Seal-lock.



; No. 700,258. V Patented May 2,0, I902.

.1. n. THOMPSON.

.SEAL LOCK.

(Application flied Apr. 1a, 1901. Model.) 2 ShpatsE-S'heat I.

YHE 'uomus mans on. Moro-mum. wasummom u. c.

no. 700,253. p Patented May 20, 1902.-

' n. THOMP$0N.- SEAL LOCK.

(Application; filed A r. 13, 1901.) v (No Model.) 1 2 sneets snw 2.

Wihyzssas mi NuRms PETERS c0. PHOTCHJTNIOH WASHINGTON. n. c v

,UNTTEDY STATES PATENT Qrr cn.

JOHN ROBERT THOMPSON, or nMERioUs, GEORGIA.

SEALf-LOCK.

SPEGIFIOATION tbr'ming part of Letters Patent No. 7oo,25s, dated M'ay. 20, 1902.

- ApplicationiiledApril13 ,1 991. Serial 110.55.743. (Nomocll To all whom it may concern: I Be it known that-I, JOHN ROBERT TH0MP= soN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Americus, in the county of Sumter and State of Georgia, have invented a new and useful- Seal-Lock for Oar-Doors, of which the follow ing is a specification. p The invention relates to improvements in seal-locks for car-doors. p 1

The object of the. present invention isto improve the construction ,of cardoor locks and to provide a simple and comparatively inexpensive one capable of being readily operated and adapted- 130 be efiectively sealed whenvclosed, so as to plainly'indicate when it has been opened,

With these and other objects'in view the ent nr t eepons st in t e mb nat and arrangement of parts, as will be hereinafter more fully described, shown in the accompanying drawings, and particularly pointedout in'the appended claims, it being understood that changes in the form, proportion, size, and minor details -may be made within the scopeof the claims without depart:

ing from the spirit or sacrificing any of the" advantages of the invention.

In the drawings, Figure l isan inside elevation of a portion of a car, showing the improved door mounted" therein, parts being broken away to show the connection between the door and the tracks thereforvand also to showthe locked connection between the door and the car-frame; Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional-view thereof. ''Fig. 3 is a detail en larged sectionalview takenon the line 3 3 of Fig. 1.. Fig. 4 is asimilar view'showing the door in the-act of closing. Fig. 5 is a detail enlarged sectional view taken through the bot-" tom of the door and the car with the former in its closed position. Fig. 6 isanenlarged detail sectional view taken through the top' of thecar and door. Fig. 7 is a detail sectional elevation showingthemeansfor-lock mg the lock-operatingwhandle. Fig.8 is an enlarged detail sectional view taken l'ongitudinally through the outer end portion of the handle to show the-sealing apparatus.

' Fig. 9 is a similar view at right angles to Fig.

S. Fig. 1 0 .is a view similar to Fig. 9 with the device in its locked position. Fig. 11 is a 'Like characters of reference designate corresponding parts in all of the figures of the drawings.

Referring at first more particularly to Figs. 1 tot), inclusive, 1 designates the side of a car, and 2 an ordinary slidable c a r-door,which in the present invention is provided with a beveled marginal edgeto fit snugly the correspondingly-[beveled marginal edge of y the doorway in order that the door maylie flush with the outer side of the car when closed.

.For the support of the door when the lat-- ter is open and drawn laterally outof the doorwaythere is provided a bottom track 3 Fig. 12 is a similar view on the line in the form of a round, rod, which is located below the lower edge of the door and issupported outwardly from the car by means of a plurality of brackets, one of whichhas been shown at 4. Eachbracket is secured tothe bottom sill or side of the car andengages the track from the rear side only, soth at the top and inner side thereof may be freefrom ob- 'st'ructions. In the bottomed'ge of the door there is provided a longitudinal slot or opening 5'for the reception of a'fikedrod 6, and in the outer side of thedoor there is provided a pair or more of vertical slots or openings,

one of which has been illustrated at 7 to expose the rod. Upon this rod are hinged the hangers 8, which are introduced through the respective slots or openings 7 and project downwardly through the longitudinal slot 5, that opens outwardly through the-bottom of the door, or only.the opening-,7 may open.

through the bottom of the door,; as may be desired. This hanger is preferably formed in'twoopposite members, whichhave their upperends provided witha detachable hinged or pivotal connection, so as to embrace the rodloosely and form a hinged connection therewith to permit of an outward swing 'of IOO the hanger upon'the rod as a center. The

lower ends of the hanger membersare spread,

so as to form a fork for the reception of a grooved roller or wheel 9 to travel upon the track 3. By this arrangement the hanger assu mes an inwardly-inclined position, as shown in Fig. 5, when the door is closed into the doorway, and when the door is pulled later: ally outward, so as to slide upon the track, the hanger swings outwardly upon the track as a center until it assumes a vertical position. (Shown in Fig. 2.)

To look the door when closed, there are provided the top and bottom pairs of lock-bars 10, the members of each pair having their inner ends connected to the inner side of the door by means of a common pivotal connection 11, from which they extend laterally outward in opposite directions across the inner side of the door. The outer end of each member is provided with a locking-bolt 12, which has its inner end pivotally connected to the adjacent bar, as at 13, and works freely through a slot or opening 14, formed transversely through the adjacent side edge of the door, and is designed to be shot outwardly, so as to take into a socket 15, formed in the adjacent edge of the doorway in the car, whereby the door is locked. The lockingbolts at one or rather each edge of the door carrya vertical plate or metal strip 16, which is connected to both top and bottom bolts, so as to move therewith, and normally lies within a vertical slot in theedge of the door, so as to'be carried outwardly with the bolts and into a corresponding slot or groove 17, formed in the edge of the doorway, as illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, the strip being partly in the door and partly in the car when the door is closed, whereby the joint is effectual] y closed and rendered weather-proof and fireproof. As shown in Fig. 4, the outer end of the locking-bolt is beveled at substantially right angles to the bevel of the door edge and doorway, so that-when the bolt is shot outwardly and the door is moving laterally inward the beveled end of the bolt will strike the outer edge of the socket 15 in the edge of the doorway, and thereby aid in drawing the door into the doorway.

The lock-bars are simultaneously operated by means of a tumbler 18, pivotally mounted at about the center of the inner side of the door and to which are pivotally connected the links 19, which have their outerends pivotally connected, as at 20, to the intermediate portions of the respective lock-bars 10, there being a link for each bar. When the tumbler is rotated in one direction, the links 19 are moved outward, and they carry with them the adjacent ends of the bars 10, thereby swinging the said bars out of alinement and arranging them in a position at an angle to each other, whereby the bolts 12 are withdrawn from engagement with the sockets or keepers in the edge of the doorway. adapted to be moved outward, so as to be supported upon the lower track.

The door is then- For the convenient manipulation of the lock-bars from the exterior of the car there is provided a rotatable shaft or spindle 18, (shown in Figs. 2 and 7,) said spindle being fixed to the center of the tumbler and passing rotai'ably through the door, the outer end of the spindle being mounted in a central opening in a combined stop and lock-plate 19', fixed to the outer side of the door. In the center of the outer face of this plate and surrounding the projected end of the spindle there is provided a circular recess 20', and in the marginal wall of this recess there are provided a pair of notches or sockets 21, which are disposed at substantially right angles to each other, the outer face of the plate also being cut away or reduced to form a quad rantshaped recess, the opposite walls of which form stop-shoulders 22, corresponding to the notches or sockets 21. A tubular crankhandle 23 has its inner end slightly flattened and provided with a polygonal opening 24 for the snug reception of the polygonal projecting end of the spindle 18', said handle lying within the quadrant-shaped recess and projecting a suitable distance beyond the peripheral edge of the plate and limited in its movementbytheoppositestop-shoulders22. lVithin the handle is an endwise-movable "handle-locking bolt or rod 25, which is designed to be shot outwardly through a diametric opening 26 in the outer polygonal end of the spindle and into one of the sockets 21 for the purpose of locking the handle against movement when lying against the respective stopshoulders 22 and at its opposite limits. It will thus be understood that by swinging the handle from one limit to the other the spindle and tumbler will be rotated and the lockbars operated through the medium of the links.

It is designed to automatically force the door laterally outward by the withdrawing of the locking-bolts, and to accomplish this feature there is provided a pair or more of vertical shifting arms or members 26, (best shown in Figs. 1 and 0,) having their lower ends pivotally connected to the intermediate portions of the respective upper lock-bars and working loosely through vertical slots or openings 27, formed through the top edge of the door. At the inner upper edge of the respective shifting'arms there is mounted an antifriction-roller 28, which projects slightly above the top edge of the arm, and adjacent to the outer side of the arm there is provided a longitudinal bifurcation or slot 29 in the upper end of the arm, thereby forming a fork to slidably embrace the lower edge of a fiat upper track 30, hung from the upper portion of the outer side of the car by means of suitable brackets 31. By this arrangement the upper end of the door is guided upon the upper track when the door has been drawn outwardly. When the locking-bolts are shot outwardly to lock the door and the latter is within the doorway, the shiftingarms are drawn downwardly by the movements of the upper locking-bars, and when the lockingbars are raised by the unlocking of the door the shifting-arms will be thrust simultaneou sly upward,whereby the antifriction-rollers strike the upwardly and outwardlyinclined upper edge of the doorway, and thus automatically force the door laterally outward until the lower edge of the upper track is embraced by the fork portions of the shifting-arms, the lower hinged hangers 8 accommodating themselves to the lateral movement of the door. When the door has thus been moved out of the doorway, it is free to be slid endwise upon the tracks to uncover the doorway in the car. To close the door, the handle 23 is swung to its opposite limit, thereby drawing the guiding and shifting arms downwardly below the .upper edge of the door to permit of the latter being pushedlaterally into the doorway and the lockingbolts being shot into the keepers or sockets on thecar. It will be understood that the movements of the. shifting-arms and the locking-bolts are so proportioned that the arms will be disengaged from the tracks before the bolts project beyond .the door edge in order that the door may enterthe doorway before the bolts are projected.

The-handle is provided with a sealing mechanism housed within it and adapted to prevent the locking device from being operated without breaking the seal. The locking bolt or bar 25, which is reduced at its inner portion, as illustrated in Fig. 7, is provided with an outer portion slidablymounted within the handle. The outer portion ofthe bolt is made semicylindrical, as at 32, and this reduction provides a, shoulder33 at the inner end of the semicylindrical port-ion. This semicylindrical portion is recessed at the inner face to provide a semitubular portion 34. The semitubular portion forms a shoulder 35 at the center of the semicylindrical outer. portion of the bolt, and the shoulder is provided with a beveled notch 36 of less, width than the groove or recess of the semitubular portion. The side edges of the semitubular portion are provided with recesses 37, extending fromthe shoulder 35 to the outer end of the bolt.

In the. space provided by the semicylindrical portion of the bolt is fitted a fixed semicylindrical block. or plug 38, and the shoulder 33 of the bolt lies against the inner end of the plug to limit the outward movement of the locking-bolt when the. latter is in its unlocked position.v The semicylindrical block or plug is provided at the outer portion of its inner facewith a recess 39 of substantially thesame width as the beveled notch.36 and of approximately the length of the longitudinal recesses 37, of the semitubular, portion of the locking bar or bolt. Within the recess 39 is pivoted a swinging latch40, secured at its outer end 41 to the block-or plug and having its inner end free and 'yieldingly supported by a spring 42, interposed between the adjacent longitudinal recessof the locking bar to permit a frangible seal 46 to be introduced into the device, and the said seal is received within a seal-chamber formed by the semitubular portion of .the locking-bar,Where-.

by the seal is carried bythe .bar when the latter is reciprocated. When the locking-bar is moved forward to its engaging position, the frangible seal 46is carried toa positionopposite the alined or registering. openings 43 and 44 of the plug and the handle and is exposed through the said openings. ,The seal 46 is locked in this position by the springactuated latch 40, which'snaps back of. the rear end of the seal and into engagement therewith at the outer. end thereof, thereby locking the bolt in the position illustratedin Fig. 10 of the drawings". withdrawn from this position without breaking the seal, ,which operation is. effected by inserting a stick or any suitable implement through the alined openings .43 and 44. The broken parts of the seal will be received within the semitubular seal-chamber and will be discharged therefrom throughthe outer.

open end of the handle when the latter is swung downward to 'a substantially. vertical position.

.To. facilitate endwise movement of the locking-bolt in the handle, there is provided a rotatable sleeve 47, mounted upon the outer.

portion of the handle at theopenings thereof andfittingagainst an annular. stop shoulder or .collar 48 of the said handle to.prevent it from moving inward on the same. i The lower side of the sleeve is providedwith an internal spiral grooveor slot49, receiving .a stud or projection 50 of the locking-bolt. Thestud or projection 50is locatedbetween theends of the locking-bolt, whichis .reciprocated. when the. sleeve is partially rotated. ,The handle. is provided with atlongitudinal slot- .51, through which passesthe. studor projection 50 ofthe lockingsbolt The frangible seal, which is preferably. re,c.

tangular, as illustrated in Fig. 13 ofthedrawr.

The bolt cannot be- 44. The sleeve is also provided with an opening 53, which registers with the said openings.

drawn outward, and by this construction the lock is prevented from binding or interfering with the quick withdrawal of the bolt.

From the foregoing description it is apparent that the handle for manipulating the lock is designed to be swung in the path of a quarter-circle to lock and unlock the locking-bolts and has a handle-locking bolt which is arranged to engage with a fixed member on the car-door to lock the handle against accidental;

movement at its opposite limits. Moreover, there is provided arotatable sleeve for manipulating the handle-locking bolt, which is designed to be rotated in one direction to withdraw the bolt and permit of the insertion of a seal and also to permit of. the handle being swung to its opposite limit, the opposite rotation of the sleeve being designed to force the bolt into locked engagement with the fixed keeper therefor and to move the seal into position for locking the bolt against accidental withdrawal and to an exposed position for breakage whenever desired to withdraw the bolt. i

In order that there may be a positive interlock between the seal and the stationary plug in the locked position of the bolt in addition to that formed by the spring-catch 40, the inner side of the plug 38 is provided with a marginal notch 54, extending around the opening 43 therein and for the reception of the seal in the locked position of the bolt 25, as indicated in Fig. 16 of the drawings. seal is opposite the opening in the plug, it is movedlaterally, so as to lie partlyin the notch in the bolt and partlyin the notch of the plug, by means of a spring 55, carried within the semitubularportion of the bolt. As indicated in Fig. 15, it will be seen that the spring-latch 40 is narrower than the seal, so as to engage the intermediate portion of the rear edge thereof, while the opposite ends of said edges lie against the opposite shoulders 56, formed on the plug by the notch 54, whereby should the spring-catch refuse to engage with the seal the latter will still form an interlocked connection between the bolt and the handle, and thus preclude the possibility of unlocking the bolt without also breaking the seal.

\Vhat is claimed is 1. A lock comprising a pair of oppositelydisposed swinging locking-bars pivoted at their inner adjacent ends to fixed supports, the outer terminal locking-bolts pivotally connected to the outer ends of the bars and ex- The beveled back wall of the. notch 36 is adapted to force the latch 40 into. the latch-recess when the locking-bolt isv \Vhen the.

tending longitudinally thereof and arranged in alinement with the same'when in their engaging position, and operating mechanism pivotally connected with the swinging bars at points between the ends thereof, substantially as described.

2. A lock comprising a pair of oppositelydisposed locking'bars pivoted at their inner ends to fixed supports, the outer terminal locking-bolts pivotally connected to the outer ends of the bars and extending longitudinally thereof and arranged in alinement with the same when in their engaging position, a rotatable tumbler, links pivoted to the tumbler and similarly connected to the locking-bars at points between the ends thereof, substantially as described.

3. A lock comprising the upper and lower horizontally-disposed locking-bars provided with inner terminal pivotal supports, thehorizontally disposed outer terminal lookingbolts pivoted to and extending longitudinally of the said bars and arranged in alinement with the same when in their engagingposition, a central tumbler, links extending from the central tumbler to the locking-bars at points between the ends of the latter, and the vertically-movable arms arranged above the upper locking-bars and pivoted to the same at points between the ends thereof, substantially as described.

a. In a lock, the combination with a keeper, of a spindle, a handle fixed to the spindle and adapted to be oscillated to rot-ate the same, and a reciprocating locking-bolt mounted on the handle and extending through and arranged to project beyond the spindle and adapted to engage the keeper, whereby the handle is locked, substantially as described.

5. A lock, havinga rotatable spindle, a com bined stop and bearing-plate having a central opening for the proj eotion therethrough of the spindle, an enlarged recess formed in the outer side of the plate and about the spindle-opening, the marginal walls thereof being provided with a pair of spaced stop-sockets, opposite stop projections upon the plate and corresponding with the notches, and a cranlehandle fixedly connected to the projected end of the spindle and movable in an arcuate path limited by the stop projections, and having an endwise movable locking bar. or bolt for engagement with the respective notches or sockets to lock the handle at opposite limits.

6. Alock, havinga rotatable spindle, acombined stop and lock-plate, having a spindlereceiving opening, an enlarged recess formed around the opening and in the outer face of the plate, the walls of the recess having a pair of spaced sockets or notches, the outer face of the plate also being provided with a quad rant-shaped recess intersecting the former recess, the opposite walls of the segmental recess forming stop-shoulders corresponding to the notches or sockets, and a handle which is hollow and is fixedly connected to the outer projected end of the spindle, said handle traveling in the segmental recess and limited by the opposite walls thereof, and. also provided with an internal endwise -'movable locking bolt, that works through a diametric opening in the spindle and is adaptedto take into the respective sockets tolock the handle at opposite limits. p

7. In alock, the combination with a keeper, of an oscillatory handle provided with a tubu lar portion forming a casing and having a seal-inserting opening and a seal-exposing opening, a reciprocating bolt provided with a seal-carrying chamber, and a sleeve mounted on the handle and connected with and adapted to reciprocate the bolt and provided with openings adapted to register with the openings of the casin g, substantially as described.

8. In a lock, the combination withakeeper, of an oscillatory handle, areciprocating bolt mounted within the handle and carried by the same and adapted to engage the keeper, said bolt being provided with a seal-carrying chamber, and the said handle being provided with seal-inserting and seal-exposing openings, and an automatically-operatinglocking device arranged to engage the seal when the bolt is in its engagingposit ion, substantially as described.

9. Alock, having a slidable locking-bolt, a casing therefor, a frangible seal carried by the bolt, and a spring-actuated locking device mounted within the casing and constructed to snap automatically into locked engagement with the seal at the forward locked limit only of the bolt, the casing having a seal-inserting opening, and a seal-exposing opening located at the locked limit of the seal.

10. A lock, having a slidable locking-bolt, a casing therefor, the outer end portion of the bolt which is within the casing being reduced, and provided in its inner side with a seal-receiving notch, a plug fitted fixedly within the casing and occupying the space provided by the reduced portion of the bolt,

the'outer portion of the inner face of the plug having a recess corresponding to the notch in the belt, a seal-engaging spring-actuated latch mounted within the recess, the inner' I seal-inserting opening alined with the sealreceiving notch of the bolt in the withdrawn limit thereof, anda seal-exposing opening alined with the similar opening in the plug,

- to permit of access to the seal for breaking the same.

11. A look, having a slidable locking-bolt, a casing therefor, a frangible seal carried by the bolt and having an interlocked engagement with the casing at the lockedlimitof the bolt, the casing having a seal-inserting opening and a seal-exposing opening at the f opposite limits of theseal and a rotatable adjusting sleeve mounted upon the casing, and

operatively connectedto the bolt'for sliding the casing, and having a spiral internal groove or slot, a pro ection upon the bolt and working in the slot of the casing and in the slot or groove of the sleeve, whereby a rotation of the latter will cause the bolt to move end wise, the sleeve having a seal-inserting open- A ing corresponding to the similar opening in the casing at the withdrawn limit of the bolt, andca seal-exposing opening corresponding to the similar opening of thecasing at the locked limit of the bolt.

13. A look, having a rotatable part, a tubular crank-handle connected thereto, and provided with an internal locking-bolt, a frangible seal carried by the bolt, and a locking device for engaging the seal when the bolt is in its engaging position, snbstantiallyas' described. V V V 14. Alock, havinga rotatable part, a tubular crank-handle connected thereto, an internal slidable locking-bolt within the handle, a

frangible seal carried by the bolt and "within 1 the handle, and engaging the same and the handle when the bolt is in its engaging position, a rotatable bolt-adjusting sleeve mounted externally upon the handle, and having an internal spiral groove o r slot, and a pro corresponding notch of the bolt in the locked position thereof,and means 'for moving the seal laterally from the bolt so as to lie partly in both notches and thereby form an inter locked'connection between the bolt and the.

handle. i

16. A lock, comprising a casing, having a seal-exposing opening, the inner side of which is provided with a marginal notch, an endwisemovable bolt within the casing, and having one side provided with aseal-receiving notch that is alined with the notch and opening of In testimony that I claim the foregoing as the casing in the locked position of the bolt, my own I have hereto affixed my signature in and ineansfor moving the seal laterally from the presence of two witnesses.

the bolt and to lie partly in the notches of JOHN ROBERT THOMPSON. the latter and the casing, thereby to'forin an Witnesses:

interlocked connection between the bolt and CHAS. II. BURKE,

Iho casing. V. T. A. DUNN. 

